‘Dancing With The Stars’ Finale Recap: A Night Full Of Perfect Scores

Dancing with the Stars season 24 is coming to a close, with part one of the finale airing last night.

DANCING WITH THE STARS FINALE RECAP

We saw couples Normani Kordei and Val Chmerkovskiy, David Ross and Lindsay Arnold, and Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater dance for the last time before final voting.

The first round was the redemption dance round, giving each couple the opportunity to repeat a dance style that they didn’t do well on previously to show the judges how they have improved. First up are Ross and Arnold doing a Viennese waltz to OneRepublic’s “Let’s Hurt Tonight.” The second time around, Ross is still out of his element, but definitely appears less stiff than he did the first time around. He appears happy and at ease, despite his somewhat sloppy footwork. 33/40.

Next, Kordei and Chmerkovskiy do a quickstep to “Check It Out” by Oh the Larceny. The judges are split, with Len Goodman and Julianna Hough critiquing Kordei’s sparkly bodysuit and the couple’s lack of body contact, while Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli think the dance was sexy. 38/40.

Jennings and Slater blow away the crowd and the judges with their improved Viennese waltz to “Dark Times” by The Weeknd feat. Ed Sheeran. The routine really shows the growth of Jennings. Their week 2 Viennese waltz got them noticed as competitors, but this new and improved version is so much better. 40/40.

Next comes the freestyle round, and Ross and Lindsay lead the pack with a routine to a medley of “It Takes Two” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” How appropriate for an ex-baseball player. The dance is full of fun and energy, and it is clear how much Ross is loving entertaining the crowd. The excitement earns the couple their first perfect score. 40/40.

Then Kordei and Chmerkovskiy dance to “What the World Needs Now is Love” by Andra Day. This dance is a complete 180 from the last one, and is raw with emotion. They both wear white, like angels, and even Chmerkovskiy breaks into tears. This brings the second perfect score in a row in the freestyle round. 40/40.

Last up are Jennings and Slater, who do an upbeat routine to a medley of “Let’s Go” from Drumline and Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars‘ “Uptown Funk.” The dance is full of energy and crazy impressive lifts. The dancers are clearly enjoying their time on stage and the feeling is mutual. For the third time in a row this round, the couple earns a perfect 40/40. It’s almost as if they planned on the last three dances of the season being perfect.

Clearly, the race for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy is tight. Tune in tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. to see who wins.